


Welcome to the Circus

by killerkitty15



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Circus, Character Death, Corruption, Discrimination, Drama, Dysfunctional Family, Everyone Is Gay, F/M, Group Sex, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Multiple Pairings, Multiple Partners, Murder, Occult, Sex, Sexuality Crisis, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-09
Updated: 2018-04-24
Packaged: 2019-04-20 14:14:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,459
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14262768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/killerkitty15/pseuds/killerkitty15
Summary: Life never goes as planned. Especially for Kiku. He finds himself in small town, USA, seeking help and sanctuary from a cousin his family long cast aside. Unbeknownst to him, this is no ordinary circus. The home of outcasts and freaks, they dabble in the occult to keep their small, makeshift family together.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note about the quotes: 
> 
> I have a thing with quotes. Like I’m obsessed. So for any of you going forward, the quotes I put in the beginning of the chapter (because I’m obsessed) will give you hints on the theme of the chapter/what might happen next. Just so you know. And the quotes may open up your literary horizons

"We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. The old skin has to be shed before the new one can come."  
-Joseph Campbell- **  
**

* * *

**June 2, 1950**

  
This was not how I thought my life would end up. I never thought that I'd be gripping the hands of my sisters, running towards our cousin and seeking the comforting embrace he always offered but I never wanted. Not me, nor Mei, but he was what we needed. We needed family.  
  
I definitely didn't think that we would end up in the back of a yellow cab, driving past countryside, weeds and swamps and forest preserves, quaint blue sided houses with red flowers in the window boxes, a white picket fence, a small type of town with mom and pop shops that screamed "AMERICAN SOUTH" even without the help of American and Confederate flags that flown on the sides of houses beside each other. I didn't think that, when the cab stopped, it would be on a black, asphalt road, heat waves rising like worms drowning in mud, insects buzzing in the overgrown grass and thicket of trees all snarled and smelling too sweet, like rotting peaches and oranges.  
  
"You stoppin' at the Circus?"  
  
"Yes," I said because my English was better than Mei's. Than Sakura's.  
  
The cab driver -a heavy set man with a belly that spilled over the waistband of his denim pants like too much honey in a too small jar, salt and pepper hair in his nose and around his temples, avoiding the crown of his head but that was only seen when he removed the brown flat hat to wipe the sweat from his brow and dark, brown skin -only grunted, understanding and knowing all too well of America's treatment of those that were Different. He, who had surely suffered from the perceived "curse" and "disability" of his rich skin that reminded me of starry nights spent laying in summer's upturned soil and long, swaying grass, and now us, foreigners in a place built by them but were so distrusting of immigrants that had come for the same reasons as their ancestors. There was little in the way of work for an African American man in the South, where Confederate flags still billowed in unseen breezes and where the bleached bones of slaves still laid buried and forgotten beneath ruins of old plantations and the beginning of a new era of New and Innovation; there was even littler work for a man, such as myself, who's accent dripped and fell from my words like ethylene glycol, tripping them and morphing them to make them Different, to make people stare or avoid eye contact.  
  
"Working there?"  
  
"Hai," Sakura said with a demure nod of her head, her tiny fist -she was only thirteen -curling into the sleeve of my shirt.  
  
"Good luck to ya," he said tilting his cap at the three of us, "That Circus, it travels. Makes good money."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Kami no shukufuku ga arimasu yō."  
  
"What does that mean?"  
  
I smiled, it was small and was nowhere near as graceful and darling as Sakura's whose lips immediately tilted and turned into a beautiful, beaming smile after uttering the words. "It means 'God bless you'."  
  
The man blushed, pulling his cap over his eyes to hide his embarrassment. "And with you, miss."  
  
The three of us -Sakura, Mei and I -got out of the cab, grabbing our bags and paying the man, including a generous tip. The man drove off, leaving us standing in front of our future.  
  
I definitely didn't think that, one day, I would be standing in front of a path big enough for three people to walk side by side, the grass yellowed and pressed down close to the ground to allow a comfortable walking surface, a sign hanging above the path made out of iron posts decorated with snakes and ivy, and an arched sign made of wood, clowns painted on either side of the words, "CIRQUE DES MERVEILLES: FEATS OF SKILL AND FREAKS OF NATURE! Sponsored by LIZ &ROD INC".  
  
But here we were.  
  
"Nii-san," Sakura said staring up at me with her big, honey colored eyes, "are we going to see Yao?"  
  
"Hai."  
  
"After so many years..." Mei spoke, shaking her head and gripping her suitcase handle tightly in both hands, "It seems unreal...do you think Aniki changed? Young Soo? Lei Siu?"  
  
"We will see when we get in there, won't we?" I said gently, squeezing Mei's elbow and patting Sakura's head before walking ahead of them, leading the way to where the circus was sure to be located.  
  
As suspected, the circus was further up the path in a large clearing, the grass shorter and maintained better than the area surrounding it. There was a big tent immediately in the center, the material purple and red vertical stripes, surrounded by strange mirrors and statues that looked to be from the romantic or gothic era in Europe, connected to that tent on my right was a smaller tent with red and yellow stripes, surrounded by snakes and devils painted like adorable cherubs, to my left was another tent attached to the larger tent only this one was a plain green, almost the color of vomit with a tin sign that read, simply, "Performers Only". There was also a small Ferris wheel to the left, in front of the green tent and blocking it -mostly -from view, and a small carousel to the right, slightly in front of the red and yellow tent. The mouth of the main tent looked like a dragon, and I couldn't help but imagine, as we walked forward, that we were about to be consumed, never to be seen or heard from again. As if everything would come to a crashing, burning, screeching, halt if we entered that tent. But it was oh so tempting, to give in to the unknown and loose myself into the abyss of Never and Nothingness. It called to me like a familiar lover and, when Sakura held my shirt sleeve tighter and Mei stepped closer to me, I knew they felt it too.  
  
It was terrible. Breathtaking. Terrifying. Magnificent. Appalling. Provocative.  
  
Just as we were about to enter this arena of doom and seduction, a voice sounded in the distance. It was a frantic and unfamiliar, deep with manhood and, as I turned, I saw that man running towards us, recognizing the strand of hair bobbing in the wind. "Young Soo...?"  
  
He came like a whirlwind, laughing and crying and babbling, too much and yet not enough as he embraced my sisters, exclaiming teary endearments in Korean and English. Once he pulled away, though, laughing and scrubbing his eyes, and he saw me, he froze. Everything became still and tense as we stared at each other. _I did not mean to do that to Yao,_ I tried to say. _Fuck your bitch ass,_ Young Soo's eyes seemed to reply, _how can I forgive you? How can he forgive you?_ Before I could say anything -tell him how proud I was of him, how proud I was that he was taller than me even though I was older, how proud I was that he was no longer a green bean of a prepubescent boy, but a sixteen year old with muscles and armpit hair, a tattoo on his bicep of an octopus -I was cut off by a high pitched cry, soon surrounded by slender arms and the smell of Chai leaves and plum blossoms.  
  
"Kiku!" the voice was distinct, my arms curling around the torso that was as slender as mine, hands on the small of his back, "Kiku, I didn't really think -aiyah! I didn't really think you would come! I have missed you! So, so much!" Yao was crying, his arms wrapped around my shoulders, one hand running through the back of my head, in my black hair. Held by him, I felt the warm feeling of home, belonging, like a prodigal son being welcomed home with open arms despite the cowardice displayed while fleeing in the first place. How had I been able to hurt him? Turn my back on this man, my cousin who was more of a parent to me than my own and an older brother that I had always needed and wanted? How had I done those things when being cradled like a child felt so welcomed, a relief, that made my eyes wet? I held back the tears, hiding my face in his shoulder and breathing in the scent of Chai, plum blossoms and sweat.  
  
"You were the only one that we could go to, Aniki..." Mei said, bunching up the light, white fabric of her skirt in her fist. "We don't have anyone."  
  
"Watashitachi wa anata o hitsuyō to shite imasu. Watashitachi wa totemo kodokunanode, aru," _(We need you. We are so, so alone)_ Sakura whimpered, Mei wrapping an arm around her half-sister, pulling the petite female against her side and linking their hands together.  
  
"Shhh, it's ok now," Yao said keeping one arm around me while he placed his hand over the girls' linked hands, "Aniki's here. You will find a home here, you three are gifted and shall fit in perfectly."  
  
"We already talked with the Ring Leader and he said it's alright," the Korean said, crossing his arms behind his head, "He would like to talk to you, though."  
  
"He will be getting food soon," Yao said wiping his face with the cotton of his white, button down shirt that seemed to swallow him, "Follow us, aru." My sisters and I followed Yao and Young Soo as they walked around the three main tents and the carousel, going towards the back of the clearing; there, a plain, white, canvas tent was set up in addition to multiple different trailers and a big, black truck. Yao grabbed my wrist before pointing towards the plain tent, "That's where everyone is right now. It's about lunch, right? Who is making lunch this time around, aru?”

  
Young Soo scratched his cheek, puckering his lips and twisting his mouth to the side as he thought. "Hm...Jett and Lei Siu, I think."  
  
Yao nodded, "Shì de, dāngrán." -( _Yes, of course)_ -"Kǎo xīn sī, here, everybody takes turns making breakfast, lunch and dinner. You remember Lei Siu, right? He has changed so much since we have last seen each other. It’s my turn to cook tonight."  
  
"Good," Mei said with a small smile, "I've missed your cooking the most."  
  
Yao laughed, leading us forward. There were rows and rows of tables beneath the white tent, set on the grass cut so short it was almost like carpet, with another row of tables going from one side of the white tent to the other that held pots and pans filled with homemade biscuits, yum cha, egg tarts, boat congee, xiaolongbao, lemonade, sweet tea and cucumber sandwiches. These tables were filled with people of such oddity that I couldn't help but stare as they sat, stuffing food into their mouths or waiting in line to heap food high on disposable plates and fill foam cups full of something cool for the Southern heat or afternoon tea to relax tense muscles. “Let’s get some food in you. We will greet Lei Siu then.” Yao and Young Soo led us to the buffet of food, giving us plates and cups so we could help ourselves.

 I was starting to think I wouldn’t see Lei Siu until later that night when he came out, dressed in Western clothing like Yao and Young Soo, with a bandana holding his hair back and an apron over his clothes, carrying a tray of boat congee. He had just placed the tray down when he saw me, eyes widening and face overcome with shock before it purposefully stilled into the composes mask he had been wearing before. “Kiku? Cousin?”

 “I have missed you, Lei Siu. Look how much you have grown,” I said, awed at his appearance. He was taller, thinner, more mature and a far cry from the child he had been when he left home with Yao, who was his half brother, and Young Soo who was a cousin from the other side of the family.

 “That seems to happen with time,” he said indifferently, though I thought I could detect a hint of bitterness from him. “Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be with Uncle?”

 I flinched, “Hai, about that-.”

 “Lei Siu!” Sakura and Mei rounded the table to hug him, Sakura was just below his chin while Mei was still a head taller than him since she was fully grown.

 “All of you are here?”

 “They have come to live with us, Lei Siu. Isn’t that exciting?” Yao said with a hopeful smile.

 The teen stiffened, pulling away from the two girls and straightening out his clothes. “Sure. I need to get back to work. I’ll see you guys later.”

 “He is going through a phase,” Yao apologized sheepishly, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear, “but he is truly happy to see you.”

 “Come on, let’s find the others!” Young Soo said excitedly, jumping up and down with his enthusiasm, "We can sit with the members that we usually perform with."  
  
He and Yao practically dragged us and our suitcases to a table on the far right. There were a few people there already: a man with short blonde hair and a colic, wearing a shirt cut to show the bulging of his arm muscles, on his left was another blonde man with slicked back hair and, behind him, was a mass of grey, black, reddish and white fur, then was a man with auburn hair and a strange curl who talked with enthusiastic hand gestures and wearing tight clothes that showed off too much skin, across from them was another blonde with longer, wavier hair and a curl in front of his blue-violet eyes and mass of white fur behind him, another man who was tall and intimidating with beige blonde hair and who wore a pink scarf and bright, oddly patterned clothes, and, finally, there was a small boy with tanned skin, black hair poking out through his red hat.

  
"Guys! These are our cousins we told you about!" Young Soo said throwing his hands up in the air excitedly before he took a seat with a loud _thump!_ "There's Kiku and his half sisters Mei" -he pointed at the Taiwanese girl in her pink qipao and white skirt -"and Sakura," he motioned to the other girl, smaller than her siblings with short, black hair with a yellow flower behind her ear and her pink kimono; Sakura smiled kindly and bowed.  
  
"Ve~! Such belle ragazze!" the man with the auburn hair said, bouncing to his feet with frightening speed. He skipped over to Mei and Sakura, grabbing Mei's right hand and Sakura's left and bringing them level to his chest. "Caio~! I'm Feliciano, e 'un piacere conoscerti!" _(It's a pleasure to meet you!)_  
  
With a blush, I grabbed the back of my sisters' shirts, pulling them back and way from the strange man before their hands could be kissed. "My sisters value their personal space. Gomen'nasai."  
  
The man, Feliciano, blinked in confusion before his lips stretched into a toothy, beaming smile. "Oh? You're Japanese? That's great, ve~, we've never had a Japanese person here! We have people from all over the world! Even Russia! Right, Ivan?"  
  
"Da!" the man in the pink scarf, apparently named Ivan, exclaimed with a big smile and excited little laugh.  
  
Feliciano giggled, looking at me out of the corner of his eye, his smile shifting, turning into something different… _darker._ Almost wicked. Or an emotion I couldn't pinpoint, having never had a smile of the sort directed my way before. "Your name is Kiku?"  
  
"...Hai..."  
  
"You're a very handsome man, Kiku," Feliciano said lowering his eyelids and his smile becoming a grin, one that said 'come hither and I promise you will not regret a single moment of it'; he stepped forward, so close that I could feel his breath mingling with mine, sending uncomfortable goosebumps rushing from my neck down to my tailbone. His fingers tips caressed the back of my hand, going up my wrist to my elbow, then back down, "I would be more than pleased if I had the chance to get familiar with you~."  
  
"Wha-?!"  
  
"Feliciano!" the man with the slicked back blonde hair and hard, cold, blue eyes bellowed, having banged his hands on the table and stood, "That is enough! He is obviously uncomfortable!"  
  
Feliciano broke into a fit of giggles. "But, Luddy, when he blushes, he is almost as cute as you~!"  
  
At this, the man turned bright red, "Feliciano-."  
  
"Ve~ are you jealous?" he asked with a glint in his eye, reminding me of a child that was about to break the rules and knew it was wrong. A troublemaker glint.  
  
_"Feliciano,"_ the blonde man said in a tone that was not to be argued against, or trifled with. I was grateful for the man's interference, I had started to develop a pressure in my chest and abdomen, a familiar and uncomfortable feeling, as Feliciano had gotten closer and the interaction had dragged on. The blonde turned to me, looking calmer as he took a deep breath; he didn't smile but his face had softened, making the intense, intimidating features more welcoming, "Guten tag, my name is Ludwig. I apologize for my friend-."  
  
_"Lover,"_ Feliciano pouted, bouncing over to Ludwig; he wrapped his arms around Ludwig's thick arm, leaning up on his tiptoes to kiss the man on the cheek.  
  
The blonde blushed. "Ja… yes, my lover. I apologize for him. He doesn't know the meaning of personal space und is too friendly with people he has just met."  
  
"It is because I'm Italian~!" Feliciano giggled. _He giggles a lot,_ I thought.  
  
"Yeah, that means that he's ten times gayer than anyone here!" the blonde with the colic exclaimed, laughing loudly.  
  
"Shut up, Alfred," Ivan said with a big smile, "Leave little Feli alone. We all know Ludwig is gayer anyway."  
  
"Don't tell me to fucking shut up you filthy communist!" Alfred hissed leaning over the table to grip by the end of his scarf.  
  
The blonde with the wavy hair slapped Alfred's hand away. "Relax, Al, you're getting too worked up again..."  
  
"Everyone settle down!" Yao demanded in his scolding, parent voice. Everyone settled down, staring at Yao and waiting for him to go on. It was here, a table full of freaks and failures and outcasts, where Yao finally achieved what he wished to achieve. Here, he was respected, listened to, admired, maybe even loved, like the role model, the big brother, he had always wished to be. Something that our family had not been able to give to him. "We introduced our cousins to you, now we must introduce you to them!"  
  
"Ok, Yao-Yao~!" Ivan hummed.  
  
"Thank you, Yiwan," Yao said making the bigger man blush and laugh happily, "Kiku, Mei, Sakura, you have already met Feliciano. He's from Italy and is part of the trapeze act, along with his twin brother. Ludwig, the scary blonde man who is blushing like a little boy right now" -Ludwig glared at the Chinese man as Feliciano cuddled into his chest -"is clearly Feliciano's lover; he's German so he's obviously not very cuddly to anyone except Feliciano, but he's also the Circus' canine animal tamer."  
  
"Canine?" Mei asked, tilting her head to the side.  
  
"Ja," Ludwig said, placing his fingers in his mouth and whistling, "Aufstehen! Sitzen!" The fur mass behind him moved, the heads of four wolves lifted in unison, scrambling up from their laying position; it was three wolves colored black, grey and reddish brown, all relatively young, a white one with a streak of silver colored fur along its flank that was older than the rest. Among the adult wolves, and the lone elder, was a tiny little thing, a puppy with white fur the color of snow but, unlike the others, this wolf had two heads. My lips parted in shock as all of them, including the puppy, stood at attention, looking up at Ludwig and awaiting his instructions. "Sitzen!" They sat on the ground, the puppy taking a little longer than the rest but doing so with more enthusiasm. "Gut," Ludwig said with a small smile, scratching each one between the ears, "Knien Sie sich!" They sat back on their haunches, exposing their bellies as they pulled their paws up to their chests. "Gute Jungs. Gute Mädchen," Ludwig chuckled taking cut up sausages from a black poach at his waist and distributing them equally, uttering praises in German.  
  
Feliciano giggled after Ludwig was done, dismissing the dogs and sitting back down at the table. "See?" the Italian said scratching the reddish brown one beneath the muzzle and running his fingers through the thick fur at the wolf's neck, "Luddy's a great animal tamer!"  
  
"Don't touch them, though. Unless Ludwig is there with you," Young Soo warned, "They are still wild animals. The only ones ever able to be around even one of them alone are Feliciano and Ludwig's older brother. They're dangerous to anyone else. One tried to bite me the other day!"  
  
"That is because you were teasing Brutus," Ludwig snapped, obviously irritated, as he patted Brutus' -the elder wolf- head, "Of course his Blackie got angry." To confirm his statement, the black wolf -obviously Blackie -growled at Young Soo, taking a step towards the Korean; Young Soo yelped, hiding behind Yao, while Ludwig yelled something angrily in German, taking a black crop that was attached to his belt and firmly hitting Blackie on the nose. The wolf whined, dropping to her stomach and lowering her ears submissively, she backed away from Young Soo, turning to Brutus and snuggling up against him; Brutus made a huffing noise, licking his younger mate on the ears and on her jaw.  
  
"Anyway," Yao butted in, giving the two a measured look that quickly made them be quiet, "Then there's Alfred, who's American and our strong man-."  
  
"That's right, baby, I'm the strongest man there is!" Alfred, the blonde with the colic and square glasses, said with a beaming smirk sent in Mei's direction. He winked at her, making my big brother senses tingle as I refrained from back handing him violently in the face.  
  
"Alfred!" the wavy haired blonde exclaimed in his extremely quiet voice, "Th-That's not appropriate!"  
  
"And that lovely boy who has to deal with Alfred on a continual basis, is Matthew," Yao said with a sigh and gentle smile, which was returned by a blushing Matthew, "he's Canadian and is the animal tamer specializing in bears."  
  
"Bears?!" Sakura squeaked, looking with frightened eyes in Matthew's direction.  
  
"Da, Matthew's quietness hides his strength," Ivan said clapping Matthew on the back, "But he is strong. Firm. The bears fear and respect him."  
  
"...W-Would you like to see?" Matthew asked timidly, pushing up his glasses.  
  
"Hai," Sakura breathed in awe.  
  
With a nod, the Canadian stood up tucking his hair behind his ear and looking down at the mass of white fur. "Kuma..." he said firmly, "Get up." The fur mass shifted, but didn't move other than that; Matthew looked annoyed, inhaling sharply through his nose before he bellowed, "Kuma! Get your ass up! Now!" The mass jerked, a head swishing from side to side in confusion as the mass, which I now realized was a polar bear, scrambled to its feet. "Good boy, good baby," Matthew breathed with a happy smile, "Kuma, would you like a hug?" The polar bear, Kuma, nodded, feet shifting and stomping the ground; as Matthew took a step closer, his arms spread for a hug, Kuma raised himself on his hind legs, his thick polar bear arms going over his shoulders and his paws pressing against Matthew's back as the Canadian wrapped his arms around the polar bear's torso. Matthew cooed and coddled Kuma, who accepted everything with the excitement of a child, licking Matthew's face and rubbing his skull against Matthew's sides, chest and face. Matthew giggled, kissing Kuma's nose before turning to Sakura, "Do you want to touch him?"  
  
"N-Nani?!" she exclaimed blushing as Matthew extended a hand to her.  
  
"It's ok..." he said gently with a kind smile, "I'll protect you."  
  
I let my sister place her hand in his, big brother senses not tingling like they did around Matthew's brother, and go forward. This man was obviously confident. Matthew stood behind Sakura, grabbing her wrist gently and turning it palm up.  
  
"Kuma~," the Canadian said, softly, "This is my friend, Sakura. She's a friend. She's nice, she's pretty. Do you like her Kuma? I think you do. I think you like all my friends. Sakura's our friend. Why don't you give her kisses? Give her some sugar, show her how much we love our friends." The polar bear snorted, moving forwards and sniffling the Japanese girl's hand from her fingertips to her wrist, then back down. He stopped in the middle of her hand the second time smelling upward, sniffing for a moment before licking the palm of her hand. Matthew smiled, helping her turn her hand to gently caress Kuma's head and muzzle, Kuma beginning to purr like the engine to a car, nuzzling into Sakura's underdeveloped chest. She giggled.  
  
"While that's happening," Yao said, his laughter evident in his voice, "The rest of the people here are Ivan, one of our clowns and from Russia, and then there's Ahmet, who is from Northern Cyprus and Turkey. He's in the Oddity Show as the smallest man, he's twenty five in case you couldn't tell."  
  
Ahmet, the man who looked like a boy, smiled and chuckled at that. "Of course they couldn't," he said, his voice obviously deep from age and maturity, "I didn't even talk."  
  
"Nice to meet you all," I said with a small bow, Mei hurrying to follow my example, "It will be a pleasure working with you."  
  
"Ditto, man!" Alfred said.  
  
"Ve~ we'll be good friends~!" Feliciano cheered, clapping his hands. He was now sitting in Ludwig's lap.  
  
"But...Yao...you said that we needed to talk to the ring leader..."  
  
"Yes," Young Soo said, answering for his older cousin, he paused, listening to loud voices steadily increasing in volume, like I was, "That should be him now."  
  
A group of men stepped into the canvas tent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Starring:
> 
> Kiku/Japan  
> Mei/Taiwan  
> Sakura/Nyo Japan  
> Yao/China  
> Young Soo/Korea  
> Lei Siu/Hong Kong  
> Jett/Australia  
> Ivan/Russia: clown  
> Alfred/America: strong man  
> Ahmet/TRNC: in the Freak Show  
> Ludwig/Germany: animal tamer  
> Feliciano/Italy: trapeze artist  
> Matthew/Canada: animal tamer


	2. Chapter 2

"Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them; that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like."  
-Lao Tzu-

* * *

 **June 2, 1950**  
  
Five very peculiar men walked into the Food Tent. There was a man in the middle of the group with long blonde hair, his outfit consisting of blues -that matched the color of his eyes -and purples; to his right -with a hand tucked into the long haired man's elbow -was a man with thick eyebrows and bright green eyes that were always darting around the room, wearing all white. To the right of the man with long hair, was another man -tall -with paper white skin and snow colored hair who was talking excitedly to the people around him; on the other side of the man with long hair was a man with tanned skin and a mop of curls and a brunette young man standing off to the side, scowling but staying close.  
  
"Who are they?"  
  
"Those dudes are Iggy and Franny," Alfred said pointing at the blondes, the one with long hair and the other with large eyebrows, "Francis" -he pointed to the long haired one that was slightly taller -"and Arthur" -he pointed to the other one -"are totally banging. Don't make it a big deal, though, Iggy'll probably rip ya a new one."

“A new what?” Mei asked me, though I only shrugged my shoulders in reply. 

"Francis is the Ring Leader," Yao clarified, "and Arthur is in the FreakShow."  
  
"So is Gilbert," Ahmet stated, "since he's albino and all and-."  
  
"And that's my fratello and Antonio~" Feliciano stated, shooting to his feet and waving his hands in the air, "fratello! Big Brother Toni!"  
  
Antonio and Feliciano's brother looked up, the brunette -who I now realized looked very much like Feliciano -scowling. "What the fuck do you want, idiota?!" the Italian shouted, placing his hands on his hips, even though he shared facial resemblance to Feliciano, that's where the similarities ended; this version had an ever present scowl instead of an ever present smile and he obviously had a coarse demeanor that was the polar opposite of Feliciano's light hearted one.  
  
"Lovi, Lovi, Yao's cousins are here~! Don't you want to meet them?" the cheery Italian asked, completely ignoring his brother's tone.  
  
"Oh, they're here?" Antonio asked, his gaze going to my sisters and I, "Ooh~ look, Franny, look!"  
  
"I see," Francis, the ringleader, chuckled, walking over to the table where my sisters and I stood. I recognized his accent as French. "Bonjour, I'm Francis, et you are?"  
  
"I'm Kiku and these are my sisters, Mei and Sakura," I said with a polite bow, "Thank you for taking us in Francis-san."  
  
"It's his pleasure," the man next to him, Arthur, who was apparently British, "We're just glad to have three more performers. It'll really spice up the show." The setting sun made its way into the tent, glinting off of Arthur's skin and I noticed the patch of green scales on his neck and cheek, and the way his pupils were slitted like a snake's. He must've seen me looking because he flashed me a toothy smile, baring canines that looked like the fangs of a snake.  
  
"But we aren't performers..." Mei cut in, hiding behind me as she spoke.  
  
Francis raised an eyebrow, "Yao mentioned something about aerial silk?"  
  
"Sh-Shi, Kiku, Sakura, Mei, I have talked to a lot of our guests and all of them would love to see what you do with silk," Yao said, placing a hand on my shoulder, "Trust me, your acts will go over so well! You might even headline!"  
  
"Calm down, old man!" the albino chuckled, shuffling over with his hands in his pockets, "Franny hasn't even seen what they can do yet." He looked over at my sisters and I and smirked, looking intimidating with his sharp, bored eyes and shit eating grin, not to mention his all black attire was a startling contrast to his pale appearance. "Guten tag, I'm Gilbert," he introduced himself, even though my siblings and I already knew who he was; he held out his hand for us to shake, and I hesitated before shaking his larger, rougher hand, before smiling oddly at Ludwig and sitting next to him, “Did my little brother introduce himself?”

“Don’t worry,” the blonde German grumbled, making the older man laugh.

"Anyway, Gil is right," the Frenchman sighed.  
  
"For once," Lovino mumbled under his breath, gaining a playful poke from Antonio.  
  
"...As I was saying, they'll have to go through a proper audition. Let's say… in two days… sound good, mon cher?" The question was directed at Arthur.  
  
"Lovely, frog."  
  
"Oh~ how you wound moi~! Et here I was, thinking I was special-."  
  
"You're sure special alright… but not in the good way."  
  
"Mommy, Daddy, don't fight!" Antonio cried out, making everyone howl with laughter. Even Lovino cracked a smile.  
  
"Think about the neighbors!" Alfred exclaimed, banging his fist on the table as he laughed.  
  
"You know what fighting can do to a relationship," Matthew added quietly, but equally amused like everyone else.  
  
"Quiet, aru! Don't be so mean to Arthur!" Yao shouted, hands on his hips; a smug look crossed Arthur's face as everyone looked sheepish -he had believed Yao was on his side… until, "You know it's just Arthur's pregnancy hormones making him moody!" And, just like that, this small group of people erupted into gut busting laughter.  
  
"You-You bloody gits!" the Brit pouted, blushing like a schoolgirl as he rest his head on Francis' shoulder, "Francis, they're making fun of me~!"  
  
"Hey, now, mis amis… only I can make fun of Arthur," Francis said, chuckling even as his lover punched his arm. "Now enough with this foolishness et let's sit down to eat."  
  
Everyone sat down, the long table comfortably fitting Alfred, Ludwig, Feliciano, Ivan, Matthew, Yao, Francis, Arthur, Gilbert, Antonio, Lovino, Sakura, Mei and myself but... "There's still a spot open."  
  
"Oh, that's for Heracles," Ivan said with a wide smile.  
  
"I wonder where the hell that cat bastard went now..." Lovino muttered, looking around the tent for a brief second before turning back to his plate, "Whatever. Who cares about him anyway."  
  
"Well. That was mean, Lovino." Everyone turned to look at the new arrival with the Greek accent, the man with a small smile on his face, "Meaner than usual."  
  
"Fuck off, bastard, and sit your ass down!"  
  
The man's smile turned into a smirk as he made his way to his seat, right across from me. And I couldn't keep my eyes off him. The man, who must have been Heracles, was the most gorgeous man I had ever seen, even surrounded by all the beautiful men at the table, I thought the Greek was the hottest thing that could ever exist. He had shaggy brown hair down to his chin, the chunks of hair framing his hair longer than the rest, he had teal eyes that seemed to contain the depths of the ocean, lightly tanned skin and he had a body that looked like it had been carved from marble. A strong, defined jaw, a straight nose, a strong -yet somewhat elegant -neck leading down to broad shoulders, broad arms, a broad chest and legs, and the top three buttons of his white shirt were unbuttoned to reveal some of his dark chest hair. "You're new."  
  
"Heracles, these are my cousins Mei, Sakura and Kiku," Yao said, "Heracles is the circus' big cat tamer."  
  
"Big cat tamer?" I asked, confused.  
  
"Yes, I tame wild cats for the show. From tigers to panthers, I am sort of… like a cat whisperer," Heracles said with a smile, making me blush and smile, too, because it felt like Heracles was staring down into the pits of my soul.  
  
"That's… ah, that's amazing..." I complemented shyly, refusing to meet Heracles' eyes. Why was my heart pounding like this?  
  
"Tell moi, are any of you gay?" Francis asked, directing his question to us, as everyone -including Heracles -dug into their meal.  
  
I choked on my food as Arthur scolded, "Francis! You just don't ask people rather or not they're gay!"  
  
"...Francis-san, if I may ask, why would it matter?"  
  
"This is not just a place where the physically gifted" -he motioned to Gilbert-"or vagabonds go when they have no one. This… This is also a place where people, people like moi -like us -go when there is no one to understand us."  
  
"It was one of the main reasons why Francis and I started this circus," Arthur said, holding the Frenchman's hand on the table top, their fingers entwined, "it was to give a home, a support system for… well, for gay people like Francis and I. It's hard enough to know you look like a freak on the outside and twice as difficult thinking there's something defective about you on the inside, too." Francis pulled Arthur into his side, kissing the side of his blonde head. Feliciano leaned into Ludwig, who was looking down at his plate sadly, Antonio put his arm around Lovino's shoulders -both of them looking sick, Ivan looked up at the top of the tent they were in, Gilbert refused to look up from where his eyes were trained on Matthew's polar bear, Alfred staring intently and pityingly at Matthew, who moved his food around in disinterest, Heracles grimaced and Yao had a pained expression, Young Soo shared this look, as he clutched his chest. I looked at my sisters who looked as if they were about to cry and, frankly, I wanted to do the same.

“We thought you should know. In case you… see something,” Francis concluded with a vague hand gesture I didn’t know how to translate.

* * *

 _"Bàba… I have something to tell you..."_   
  
_My father looked up from his newspaper, the girls playing dolls while I did my homework, Lei Siu reading a pre-teen book and Young Soo playing his video games. We were all in the living room, my father in His Chair as Yao stood to my father's left, his hands clasped in front of him. "What is it, Yao?" he asked in Chinese. He moved around a lot for his job and he knew several languages, except English, and we knew them, too. My father was not a faithful man and neither were his sisters -the mothers of Yao and Lei Siu, and of Young Soo- the only difference between them being that my aunts had never bothered with marriage, preferring to struggle as single mothers, while my father married my mother only to break her heart._   
  
_"...Bàba…” -he had always called my father Bàba, since he never knew his own- “Bàba, I'm...gay..." Yao said shakily, his words -Chinese -vibrating in fear._   
  
_"W-What? Tell me you're joking."_   
  
_"No, Bàba, I'm not..."_

* * *

I screwed my eyes shut, taking a shaky breath. I didn't want to remember. Yao placed a hand on my knee, rubbing it comfortingly, telling me it was alright.

"Not everyone here is gay, mind you," Alfred quickly said, "Like me! I'm not gay!"  
  
"No, you are not, Alfred," Gilbert sighed.  
  
"Perhaps he is gayer than the rest of us," Ivan said with a booming laugh.  
  
"Dude!"  
  
Everyone at the table laughed, including Heracles. His was a deep, quiet laugh that reminded me of warm honey, stretching out and drizzling underneath the loud, brash, clamor of other voices. I found myself staring at Heracles, the turn of his lips and the muscles flexing in his neck and jaw, and when the Greek looked over -a mischievous smile on his lips -I blushed, quickly avoiding eye contact.  
  
"So, your name is Kiku?"  
  
"H-Hai -I mean -yes. Yes it is."  
  
"We'll have to meet up sometime. I would love to learn more about your country."  
  
I felt like I was about ready to die. "I -Yes! Yes, I would like to know more about your country, too, Heracles-san!"  
  
I didn't see the looks the circus members at the table were giving each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New Characters:
> 
> Heracles/Greece: Big Cat Tamer  
> Arthur/England: in the Freakshow  
> Francis/France: Ring Master  
> Gilbert/Prussia: in the Freakshow  
> Antonio/Spain: fire swallower  
> Lovino/Romano: acrobatics (with Feliciano/Italy)

**Author's Note:**

> So I uploaded this from an account I have on FF.net but haven't been maintaining for a while. I did some edits but kept most of it the same. Let me know if this is of interest or I may just update it a little bit then leave it as is.  
> Additionally, I used Google Translate for the non-English bits so take them with a grain of salt.


End file.
